Homer

December 7, 2018 - 0 Comments

World Literature 10October 18, 2000How can one determine a writers feelings about issues by simplyreading their literature? Often it seems, one can read more than just thewords written on the page. We can read the feeling and emotion the wordsrepresent. Homer’s tone in The Odyssey shows his feelings about the past,present, and future of Greece. He portrays Ancient Greece as being overlystructured and rigid. He shows the Golden Age he lived in as beingperfectly ideal, and balanced. His view of the future predicted chaos,slackness, and confusion. Through particular characters, objects, andsettings, he symbolizes accurately these viewpoints to the reader.

Homer used people, objects, and places to symbolize his view of thepast. Poseidon was certainly a character Homer used in this symbolization.

He represents Ancient Greece as it was– run by the powerful, unforgivinggods. To show his power, he destroyed the Phaeacian ship which had broughtOdysseus safely to Ithaca.”Ah, surely then the ancients are come topass, told by my father, who said Poseidon was displeased because we weresafe guides for all mankind; and he averred the god would wreck a shapelyship of the Phaeacians, returning home from pilotage upon the misty sea,and so would throw a lofty mound around our city” (XII). He perfectlysymbolizes the severeness of Ancient Greece. Adding to this view of theformer time is the yard of Eumaeus. “He found him sitting in his porch, bywhich was built a high-walled yard upon commanding ground, a handsome yardand large, with space around”(XIV). This description of the wallssymbolizes the past in the way that the past was overly structured and tookeverything to extremes just like the yard was over protected. One can alsosee a symbolization in the stool thrown at Odysseus by Antinous. “Sosaying, he seized his footstool, flung it and struck Odysseus on the backof the right shoulder, near the spine” (XVII). This stool can beunderstood as a symbol or anger and hurt. The past was a time Homer couldremember only as strict and overly structured.

Homer also gave many representations of his time. The Golden Age ofGreece was in Homer’s eyes the ideal generation. Odysseus, disguised as anold beggar, could hardly represent this time. Yet, through this beggar’stransformation into royal looking Odysseus we can see a symbolization ofpast changing into an improved current period. “For lately you were oldand meanly clad; now you are like the gods who hold the open sky” (XVI).

Strong, beautiful Odysseus is a model character illustrating this time.

Homer uses places such as the Phaeacian ship to symbolize the Golden Age.

“Then as the sea-borne ship drew near, running full swiftly, the EarthShaker drew near her too, turned her to stone and rooted her to the bottom,forcing her under with his outspread hand, and went away” (XIII). Theship, representing balance, was forced down. Homer knew Greece’s GoldenAge was coming to an end. It would be forced down like the balanced ship.

The bow of Odysseus finishes this view. “I offer you the mighty bow ofprince Odysseus” (XXI). This mighty bow completes Homer’s view of theultimate Golden Age in which he lived.

Homer foresaw the future as looking chaotic. This is portrayedthroughout the book. Telemachus, a young and forgetful man, symbolizes thefuture as he is always not quite thinking about what he does. “Father, thefault is mine; for I it was who opened the chambers tight shut door andleft it open” (XXII). He proves to be a perfect symbol of the distractedunfolding time. The hall of Odysseus can also be called a representationof the future time. It was where all the suitors were trapped in their ownconfusion. ” Into a tumult broke the suitors round about the hall whenthey saw the fallen man. They sprang from their seats and, hurryingthrough the hall, peered at the massive walls on every side” (XXII). Eachof the suitors were so involved in eating they failed to pay attention evenafter Odysseus had strung the bow. “The man was in the act to raise hisgoodly goblet,– gold it was and double eared,– and even now guided it inhis hands to drink the wine” (XXII). Homer uses the hall and the goblet torepresent the destined chaos that was to come.

It is easy for us to read the epic The Odyssey and see Homer’s tone.

One can read deeper and see the symbolization he uses for his views ofAncient Greece, the Golden Age, and his predictions for Hellenistic Greece.

We can see this throughout the characters, settings, and objects. Heobviously believed Ancient Greece was overly structured and strict.TheGolden Age was seen by him to be completely ideal. He was slightly scaredof the future because to him it looked chaotic and lax.